Conveyer chain



Juny n; 1934. l WYNNE @HAL i,966,659 l l. Filed Jah. 20. 1932 77 @ZW/feeff.

Patented July 17, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE assignors toSolar-Sturges Mfg.

Melrose Park, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 20,1932, Serial No. 587,722

1 Claim. (Cl. 1984-195) The present `invention relates to conveyerchains and method of making same and more particularly to a conveyorchain having the characteristics of a belt in action.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor chain madeoi' links of sheet metal.

Another object o! the invention is to provide a conveyer chain soconstructed as to eliminate l gaps between adjacent links duringarticulation.

Aiurther object of the invention is to provide a link chain wherein thelinks are connected by hinge joints.

A still further object oi the invention is to provide a link chainconsisting oi links connected by hinge joints wherein the drive isagainst 'the ears surrounding the hinge pintles. l

Another and yet further object of the invention is to provide a conveyorchain consisting it@ of links fashioned from sheet metal connected byhinge joints to prevent lost motion between links thereby eliminatingnoise.

Another and stili further object of the invenm tion is to provide a linkconveyor chain which performs with belt action, that is to say,iunctions without any part of any links projecting .outwardly of thechain surface during movement oi the chain about sprockets or otherwheels.

A yet stili further object of the invention is 3@ to provide a conveyorchain so constructed as to enable the use oi smaller sprockets or wheelsand thus reducing the space required for such a chain.

i further object of the invention is `izo-provide a link chain which maybe manufactured econoniicaily and which is satisfactory in use.

The above, otherand further objects of the invention will be apparentfrom the following drescription, accompanying drawing and appended claimThe accompanying drawing illustrates an embodiment of the presentinvention and the views thereof are as follows:

Figure i is a fragmental side elevational view of two links showing thesame in articulated position and illustrating the fact that no part ofany link projects beyond the surface of the chain during articulation.

Figure 2 is a fragmental top plan view ci' two conveyer chainsconstructed in accordance with the present invention and soassociated/as to deliver articles from one chain onto the other.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially inthe plane of line III-#III Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmental view inplan of the outside of link constructed inA accordance with the presentinvention and showing the manner in which links are connected togetherform a chain.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially in the planeoi line V--V of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an elevational view of a blank from which a link of theillustrated form of chain is made. i

The drawing will now be explained.

The chain of the present invention is especially adapted iorconveyingpurposes and nds particular use in connection with transfer conveyorswhere it is desirable to transfer articles from one chain to another toalter the direction of movement of such articles as it is possible toarrange the transfer chains in closely associated relation whereby noappreciable space occurs between the transfer chains to cause accidentaldisplacement of an article and wherein any bridging aprons or the likebecome unnecessary.

It is to he noted at the outset that the conveyor chain ol' the presentinvention is made up oi links iashioned from sheet metal with the linksconnected together by hinge joints so that no gap occurs betweenadjacent links and that the joints are tight eliminating lost motionandthus eliminating noise and at the same time bringing the axis ci'rotation or the turning axis much closer to the surfaces oi the link. Asa matter of fact, utilization ci links fashioned from sheet metal andconnected by hinge joints results in the spacing o! the surface or" thelinks from the pintle pin as being that of the thickness of the links,thus greatly reducing the distance between the turning axis and the iacesurface oi the links accomplishing a smoother action and preventingaccidental displacement of carried articles usually attended with linkchains of the present type because of the fact that the rear margins ofsuch present type links rise above the surface of the chain duringarticulation and often dislodge carried articles.

A blank A is fashioned from sheet metal with projections extending fromopposite margins of the body of the blank. Figure 6 illustrates oneextension from one side and two extensions from the other side and theother iigures of the drawing illustrate chains 'constructed with linksof this character but it is of course understood that u. dinerent numberoi extensions may be provided on the two opposite margins o! the link astheV case demands. A

The link A of Figure 6 has an extension 1 extending outwardly from theedge 2 of the blank and two extensions 3 and 4 extending outwardly fromthe opposite margin 5 of the blank. The extensions 3 and 4 are laterallyspaced a distance substantially that of the width of the extension 1.Adjacent the extension V1 notches 6 and 7 are formed in the blank thewidth of which notches, that is, the distance from the top to bottom ofFigure 6, is substantially that of the width of the extensions 3 and 4so that these extensions when formed into cylindrical ears may enter thenotches 6 and 'I of an adjacent link and thus aid in providing the hingejoint utilized in connecting the several links into a chain of thepresent invention.

After the blank A with the extensions 1, 3 and 4 has been fashioned theblank is then subjected to an operation whereby the extensions 1, 3 and4 are bent into substantially cylindrical form to provide ears B; C, andD for the pintles 8. The extensions 1, 3 and .,4gare so bent that theturning axis ofthe connected link includes the adjacent edges or marginsof the link at a joint as indicated by thedottedlinesXandYinFigure 1.

The formation of the ears B,j C, and D -in the mannerstated means thatthe pintle 8 is spaced .from .the outer surface of the link A- only bythe thickness of the link, that is, the thickness of the materna orwhich the link is fashioned. This feature is important in that it makespossible articulation of the link A`about a sprocket or otherwheelwithout elevation-of the rear edge of -any link above thesurfaceofthe chain, asmay directional the arrowof Figure and chain F, atrightangles to chain E and moving in. the direction oftheannw along side'rheconstructionoftheearsnCandDin themannerstatedenablestheuseofasmaller-sprocket or wheel forsupporting a chain ofthe present invention forservice.

Figure 3 illustrates a sprocket wheel v9 connectedtoashaftlbyakeyllorasetscrew 12 which sprocket hastormedfon its surface a plurality ofsubstantially recesses l3serv`ingasteeth forengagingtheearstodrive'orcarrythe'chaiih Becauseoftheconstruction of the of the presentinvention, the diameter of the sprocket or wheel 9 may be substantiallythat of the distance between the opposedvrunsofthechainasniay'beobservedinl'igui'e3.

tice with link, chains in use at the present time.

The sprockets or other wheels 9 used in connection with this' chain arein length that of the combined length of the ears B, C and D as may beobserved from Figure 3. In this manner the driving forces are equallydistributed against the ears and relieved from the pintles 8. A moreuniform driving results and less wear ensues.

End plates 14 and 15 are applied at the ends of the sprockets orwheels'9 to serve as guides for preventing lateral movement of Ithechain with respect to the sprockets or wheels. These plates may besecured in any suitable and desirable manner.

The pintles 8 are fastened in the ears C and D against rotation 'withrespect to these ears but have loose movement with respect to the earsB. In this manner wear on the pintles is reduced to a minimum and agreater bearing surface between the pintles and the ears is secured.

It vwill be observed that a chain constructed in accordance with thepresent invention enables positioning one of these chains in closeproximity to another such as the chains E and F of Figures 2 and 3 fortransfer purposes. It will be observed from Figure 3 that the spacebetween the end of the chain E and the side of chain F is so slightas'to eliminate any-possibility of accidental displacement of an articleon either of these chains during its transfer to the other and thatspace is so slight as to eliminate the need for bridging aprons orlikestructures.

Chains of the present invention have found ready and successful useinconveying mechanisms for bottle washing machines, where bottlesofvarious sizes are conveyed out of the machine on 'one conveyer, say theconveyer E, and transferred-to anotherconveyer, say the conveyer F, forfuture disposal or collection. The fact that' bottles of differentsizesare washed by such machines vmakes it imperative that the space betweenchains E and F be small enough to prevent accidental displacement of thesmallest bottle capable of washing in the machine, and chains of-thepresent construction make this possible.;

The invention is claimed as follows:

An endless conveyer having a smooth nat upper run, said conveyerconsisting of hinged link members each of which contains a ilattopsurface, ears extending from each link for receiving,

a pintle pin, notches adjacent said ears for receiving therein ears fromthe adjoining link and portions of each side of the linkextendingtransversely beyond the ears whereby` a similar linked conveyerpositioned to travel normal to the first- -conveyer may be brought intocontiguous under- .l'yin 'relation .to receive material dischargedROBERT J.v Pani.' n. hmm. y

